Gate Mudaliyar Mudaliyar (or Mudali) was a Ceylon, Ceylonese colonial title during Portuguese Ceylon, Portuguese and British Ceylon, British rule of the island. Stemming from the Native headmen of Ceylon, native headman system, the title was usually hereditary, ...

Abraham Christopher Gregory Sooriyarachchi Amarasekara (2 March 1883 – 29 March 1983) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n painter. He is considered one the important Sri Lanka artists of the

Ceylon Society of Arts Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

of the mid 20th century. Born on 2 March 1883 in Dodanduwa, the son of Rev. Abraham Sooriyarachchi Amarasekera, an Anglican priest, he was educated at the

Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa Prince of Wales' College ( Sinhala: වේල්ස් කුමර විද්‍යාලය ''Wales Kumara Vidyalaya'', Tamil: பிரின்ஸ் ஆஃப் வேல்ஸ் கல்லூரி) is a selective-entry boys' scho ...

and at the St. Thomas' College, Mutwal, where he was the cartoonist for the hostel magazine “The Dormitory” edited by

Francis Molamure Sir Alexander Francis Molamure, (7 February 1888 – 25 January 1951; commonly known as Sir Francis Molamure or A. F. Molamure) was a Ceylonese politician. He became the first Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, speaker of both the State C ...

. He won first prize at the Ceylon Society of Arts’ annual exhibition in 1903. After completing his schooling, Amarasekera joined H. W. Cave and Company to study commercial art, then worked at the Survey General's Department as a draughtsman for six years from 1907 and finally joined the staff of the Ceylon Technical College, Maradana as a lecturer in fine arts. Later he founded his own art school, the "Atelier School of Art", which produced many notable artists such as Harry Pieris and Justin Pieris Deraniyagala. He was known for his portraits of the Ceylonese leaders of his time. His works were exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, the

Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI), initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London. History In 1831, the ...

and the

Royal Institute of Oil Painters The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, also known as ROI, is an association of painters in London, England, and is the only major art society which features work done only in oil. It is a member society of the Federation of British Artists. Histor ...

. In 1919, Amarasekera became the secretary of the Ceylon Society of Arts, its vice-president in 1926 and President in 1959. He was appointed Chairman of the Panel on Painting and Sculpture of Arts Council of Ceylon in 1954. He was an amateur magician with the stage name “Gay Deceiver” and was a founder president of the Association of Ceylon Magicians until his death in 1983. He was responsible for designing the National Art Gallery. He gained the fellowship of the British Empire Exhibition and was awarded the titular honor of

Mudaliyar Thuluva Vellalar, also known as Agamudi Mudaliar or Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and southern Karnataka. They were an elite and dominant land-owning community. Etymology The earliest occu ...

by the Governor of Ceylon in 1924. Amarasekara was appointed an

Officer of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

1939 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1939 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the o ...

for his services for the arts in Ceylon. The Government of Ceylon awarded the titular honor of

in 1952 and appointed him the Chairman of the Fine Arts Committee of the Colombo Plan Exhibition. In 1983, Dawson Road in Colombo was renamed "Amarasekara Mawatha" in his honour by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

J. R. Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene (; ; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly referred to by his initials JR, was a Sri Lankan lawyer, public official and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1978 and as the secon ...

. He married Mable Beatrice Pereira in 1908 and they had one son, D. V. A. S. Amarasekara.

References

External links

Art UK - A. C. G. S. Amarasekara 1883–1983

Who Is The Lady In Red?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amarasekara, Abraham Christopher Gregory Sooriyarachchi 1883 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Sri Lankan painters Sinhalese artists People from British Ceylon Sri Lankan Anglicans Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire Gate Mudaliyars Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia

See also

References

External links